Yesterday we took a rather long drive (very steep and rough in places) into the remote desert to visit one of Arizona's "premier" ghost towns: Swansea. It was an early 20th century copper mining town with a max population of about 700 that died during the Great Depression never to be revived.

All the above photos are of the smelter area. The original promoter and financier made his wealth in Jerome, AZ, (near Cottonwood) during its hay-day, and he was born in Swansea, South Wales, UK - hence the name.

Rows of offices and residences stretch along the flatter terrain radiating in all directions.

All the lumber is gone and the only remains are the stone foundations (below), occasional plastered adobe walls (above), and the brick smelter area.

The geology in the immediate area is very rugged and interesting including this natural arch along the roadside.

And some of the roadside cactus are beginning to bloom.

This morning we attended a meeting here at the RV park for an update on the poor wifi. Apparently the current issues are fairly new and crews are working full-time to rectify the problems - we'll see. The wifi is especially important here because we have one bar at most cell phone strength.

Yesterday (Monday) was the hottest day so far: 86 degrees!  We have learned to do whatever physical activity we want in the morning and leave the afternoon for errands, washing dishes, etc. (in air conditioning, of course). So in the morning we went a few miles up the road to the Bill Williams River National Wildlife Refuge. We didn't know what to expect because there is very little information on the internet other than the main attraction is "birding" (we saw a Great Egret, aka Great White Heron, a pair of vultures and several other birds that we didn't see long enough to identify). The refuge is a riparian forest (floodplain forest) of cottonwood and willow, and is an ecotone between the Sonoran and Mohave deserts so it is an interesting mix of flora.

We stopped at a few trail heads and walked as far as we cared to.

  The Sonoran Desert is represented by saguaro and many other cacti.

Abby really enjoyed being off-leash and chasing lizards. However, there are rattlesnakes and scorpions around so we have to be very observant. On the last blog post Nick commented about "happy Abby" - the picture above is another example of how much she loves all this activity.

The wifi and internet here is almost as bad as at our RV park in Lake Havasu (it must be something in the Colorado River water). Most of the time we can't even get online so please be patient with big gaps in our postings.

We haven't done much interesting the last few days - we just caught up with some necessities like grocery shopping, walking Abby, refilling prescriptions, walking Abby, washing the trailer and awning, walking Abby, visiting the Saturday Swap Meet in the adjacent park, walking Abby, etc. Oh yeah, we also watched the women's gold medal hockey match - what a let down after 55 minutes of good solid play. The weather here continues to beautiful: highs around 80 degrees (10 degrees above average) and sunny skies.

The only interesting pictures to share are from our visit to the Thirsty Pirate Bar. Sharon flirted with the pirate:

so Rick countered with the pirate's mate (while finishing his ice cream cone):

Yesterday (Tuesday) was a chore day: laundry in the morning (the first we've done since leaving), and errands in the afternoon followed by watching some Olympics. This morning we drove a few miles to River Island State Park and took a short hike. Like other state parks around here it is located on the Colorado River and supports mostly water sports and camping.

And, yes, that small grass-covered island is the source of the state park name.

Abby sure enjoys getting out everyday for a hike and/or a swim.

And we enjoy the dramatic vistas: both the rugged terrain and the desert plants (the cactus below are the cuddly teddy bear cholla).

Looking upriver from one of the view points we could see the Parker Dam (aka, Lake Havasu dam) in the distance near the left of the picture.

Remember you can double-click on a picture to see it enlarged.

This morning about 10:00 we drove up-river a couple of miles to explore the hiking trails in Buckskin Mountain State Park, AZ. The temperature was in the mid 60s with bright sunshine - another beautiful day. We will visit many state parks over the next couple of weeks because our annual pass that we bought last winter is valid into March.

The entrance to the park is adjacent to the Colorado River and the trail system starts there (it is visible in the black rock zig-zagging up to the left).

The trail we chose wasn't all that long (a mile +) but it included a lot of vertical. This was the first test of our hiking legs and lungs this season, and we didn't do all that well although we really enjoyed the vistas.

The scenery is dramatic - lots of bare rock with occasional saguaro, cholla, palo verde, and other desert plants.

The heat really got to us. When we left the temperature was very pleasant in the 60s but by the end of our hike it was 80 degrees. We took a lot of water with us but that doesn't compensate for being in shape for this kind activity in these temperatures. We'll keep working at it over the next many weeks. Regardless, the cold beer back at the trailer along with a shower were wonderful.

Last night we dined on the deck of the Black Pearl Restaurant here in the Pirate's Den RV Park. Their special was prime rib so that's what we had - and it was delicious. Plus the helpings were very large so we have plenty left over for another meal.

There were many speed boats on the river which reminded us how appreciative we are that no boat motors are allowed on our stretch of the Henry's Fork.

They have had a lot of fun with the pirate theme. This gentleman is seated on a treasure chest on top of three rum barrels.

Next door to the restaurant is the outdoor Thirsty Pirate Bar. We have yet to partake but we have plenty of time to visit for a cold refreshment some hot afternoon.

This morning was overcast and we decided to take a loop drive over to the California side of the Colorado River and down through the town of Parker, AZ. We drove up-river to the Parker Dam which impounds the water in Lake Havasu.

On the California-side of the river there are warning signs that wild burros may be on the highway. We came across a few groups. This guy started approaching our truck perhaps looking for a handout.

In Parker we checked out a few of the amenities. Mainly the location and size of a laundromat (the one here in the RV park only has four washers and dryers and we fill up more when we finally get around to washing our dirty clothes), and the grocery store (Safeway seems to be our only choice - but they have a good selection of beer and wine).

This afternoon we will probably chill-out and watch some Olympics (and taste a few of those beers). Go USA!



And Shirley - thanks for the birthday card!!!!! It made us laugh!!!

Today is another scorcher - it's not even 1:00 pm yet and it's already 82 degrees but we did spend a few hours wandering around this morning. There is a Swap Meet every Saturday in the adjacent county park so the three of us strolled over there to see what they were swapping and selling. The usual stuff: jewelry, t-shirts, patio sculptures, etc., plus some really neat small hand tools. Too bad we already have everything we need so we didn't buy anything.

In the picture it doesn't look like there were many people but later, closer to noon, it was really packed.

We also walked around the county park grounds remembering this time to take some pictures. On the other side of the river, the California side, is another RV park.

Plus a rather suggestive rock formation on the horizon.

Looking back toward the RV park we see the Black Pearl Restaurant and a dock. We plan to have dinner there tonight to celebrate Valentine's Day and Rick's birthday (tonight their special is prime rib).

This lagoon separates the county park from the Pirates Den RV Park. It is normally full of docks but they were temporarily removed for a kids' fishing day last week. The mouth of the lagoon is netted off and hundreds of rainbow trout were planted. There are still many
trout feeding on the surface and fishing is open to anyone now. The back of the Black Pearl Restaurant and the Thirsty Pirate Bar is visible on the right.

Just to the right (up-river) of the restaurant and bar is the beach where Abby will have lots of swim time over the many hot days to come. We couldn't find any sticks laying around so she didn't have a swim this time. We'll go prepared next time.

Working our way back to our trailer we wandered through the high-rent district packed with super expensive Class A motor homes. Each of the beach areas to the left is for the adjoining RV spot only and is not open to the rest of us (although we can use the sidewalk). None of these spots were available when we made our reservations and apparently they all get reserved months in advance. Maybe next year.




We finished the morning off with some delicious pulled-pork sandwiches from a BBQ vendor at the swap meet, plus a cold beer. Don't know if we will do anything this afternoon other than watch some Olympics and read a novel. Ahhhh - it's wonderful to be retired!

We didn't do much yesterday afternoon after setting up the trailer (except for some cold refreshments and a nice dinner from the BBQ).

Since then people have been pouring in because of the long weekend. We butt up against the La Paz County Park and it has numerous RV spots and they appear to be mostly full. Now there are lots of ATVs, ORVs and motorcycles buzzing around but hopefully they will all leave after the weekend.

We walked around this morning to explore our RV park as well as the adjacent county park but, for some unknown reason, neither of us took any pictures. We haven't gone out this afternoon after lunch because it is record-breaking hot out. The average historic high for today is 70 degrees and the record high is 85 - but now our outdoor thermometer reads 88 (and we just checked it to make sure it is out of direct sunshine). Tomorrow is supposed to be a record high also so we probably won't do much physical except in the morning (and maybe we'll remember to take some pictures - because there are many interesting and beautiful  scenes around here). The evening lows are in the upper 40s so it does cool off nicely.

It is supposed to start cooling down into the mid to low 70s next week so we will probably start exploring the three state parks near here, and a ghost town that is supposed to be the best in Arizona. We'll keep you posted.

We bailed out of the Crazy Horse RV Park this morning. The park was OK and there were many convenient places to take nice scenic walks; but the wifi was probably the worst we have ever had in a park that advertises that it is "available" (i.e., there is an extra charge for it). We had an appointment to have our exploded hot water heater replaced Monday morning so since then we have had wonderful hot showers, etc. Our many walks included checking out the rebuilt London Bridge.

The beaches are beautiful both in the RV park:

And in the nearby public park:

Abby really enjoyed taking a swim almost everyday:

The whole area is very dog friendly. We had lunch at the Javalina Cantina overlooking the London Bridge and Abby joined us.

We were happy to leave the Crazy Horse RV Park in Lake Havasu City this morning. Not only was the wifi completely dysfunctional but the park (and apparently most of the city) is overrun with motorheads. Walks along the beach were ruined by super loud unmuffled speed boats, and many of the people in the park are here because of the racecar speedway and all the car shows. And there are ORVs and loud motorcycles everywhere. So this morning we headed about 25 miles south to Pirates Den RV Park (http://www.piratesdenresort.com/).

It is located below the dam that creates Lake Havasu on the Colorado River. It looks like this will be a fun place because it is kind of hokey and quirky, which we like. And the people we have met so far are much nicer and quieter than the occupants of Crazy Horse. Plus there are no million horse power engines around. We haven't taken any pictures yet but check back tomorrow (and check out the link above for a good laugh).

We arrived in Lake Havasu City, Arizona, to 70 degree temps and sunny skies. Our RV park is located on an island in the lake accessible via the reconstructed original London Bridge. The RV park is massive with over 600 RV sites stretched along a beach and extending up the hill behind. We rented a spot in the low-rent district up on the hill and it is still one of the most expensive places we have ever stayed. We have only paid for a week so we might leave for another park. The beach is very nice but the wifi is dysfunctional (and we had to pay extra for access to it). We have tried several times to update this blog but our connection couldn't handle it. Therefore, no pictures. We’ll keep you posted.

We are finally on our winter adventure. We arrived in Mesquite, Nevada, yesterday afternoon. It is always kind of a shock to drive through miles and miles of snow-covered hills and mountains then drop down onto cactus-covered deserts. It was sunny and about 60 degrees here when we arrived.

The first task was to "summerize" our trailer, meaning to flush out the antifreeze in the water system and fill it with fresh water. Like last year, this did not go smoothly. Water started gurgling out of our hot water heater all over the floor. It turns out that the tank ruptured along a weld. There isn't an RV parts and repair shop in Mesquite so we called our next destination - Lake Havasu City, Arizona. We have an appointment for Monday morning to have a new hot water heater installed so no hot water in the trailer until then. Fortunately, RV parks have bathrooms and showers so we will shower this afternoon.

Yesterday morning we were in Salt Lake City staying with Grandma-great Shirley. It was snowy there so we were anxious to head for warmer climates.

Before SLC we spent several days in Pocatello to load up the trailer and take care of necessary things (doctors, dentists, vets, and shopping). Before that we were at the cabin and it was cold!

Yes, on the morning that we left our outdoor thermometer read -17.6 degrees Fahrenheit! That's too cold for us (although it had been as low as the minus 20s). Regardless, it is still beautiful.

Looking downriver from our riverside windows a few nights
before we left.